Add another pump, or add a canister?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Insite said:
Understand the point about filter socks for sure. I guess what I really want is better mech filtration with less maintenance than filter socks, even if it costs a lot. My past setup was a little smaller, but mechanically the water quality was better. IMO the filter is fine enough & the sediment is staying in the water column. The only other major variable is turnover rate....
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The best way to improve the maintenance is by buying more filter socks and making sure that they are easy to replace. If you do that then the maintenance should be much easier than finding out foam. I have foam and floss now and I really want to switch it out with filter socks. Also, if you want to extend the amount of time between replacing the socks, you can increase the number of them in your sump. Split your drains so you can run four or six of them. You will have to replace more of them at a time, but not as often.
 
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ok, i have done some experimentation. i am getting tons of flow through my sump; i put a block of 45ppi (very fine) poret on top of my filter stack to polish. not much change! then i turned off my wave pumps for a day. voila!

so here's the deal. i put wave pumps in this tank to keep the sand clean. they do that VERY well. i figured they would kick detritus & uneaten food into the water column. they also do that VERY well. i also figured all of the particulate in the water column would go through my sump. that...isn't really happening so well.

the particulate stays so diffuse in the water column that even with nice high turnover, i'm just not getting enough of the particulate to go over the weir. i have two 2,200GPH wave pumps on 60% power, set to surge every minute. they are mounted to the back of the glass, facing inward & slightly downward.

what can i do better? with them off, now my sand is filthy but the water column clears exceptionally well. thx for the tips!

Kev
 
Insite said:
ok, i have done some experimentation. i am getting tons of flow through my sump; i put a block of 45ppi (very fine) poret on top of my filter stack to polish. not much change! then i turned off my wave pumps for a day. voila!

so here's the deal. i put wave pumps in this tank to keep the sand clean. they do that VERY well. i figured they would kick detritus & uneaten food into the water column. they also do that VERY well. i also figured all of the particulate in the water column would go through my sump. that...isn't really happening so well.

the particulate stays so diffuse in the water column that even with nice high turnover, i'm just not getting enough of the particulate to go over the weir. i have two 2,200GPH wave pumps on 60% power, set to surge every minute. they are mounted to the back of the glass, facing inward & slightly downward.

what can i do better? with them off, now my sand is filthy but the water column clears exceptionally well. thx for the tips!

Kev
Click to expand...

Are the particulate bits floating in the aquarium water detritus or sand, or both? If both, how much would you say each is contributing?

It sounds to me like it might be sand that is coming up in the water because of the powerful wave makers, but then it’s too heavy to make it all the way up to the overflows to get filtered out. So, your tank is basically a really light moving bed sand filter. If this is the case, I think the only way to run it the way you want is to get a heavier grain sand and swap them out.

Otherwise, the best option I can see is to run it with the wave makers on all of the time, except for when you want it to look nice for company or your viewing pleasure.

Another option would be to swap the sand for a darker sand that the detritus will not show up on as well. Not sure how you would feel about this option.

Last option, but not terribly serious, add some active catfish to the tank to stir up the detritus and remove the wave makers. I have two vulture catfish and their activity usually keeps the detritus off the bottom pretty well.
 
It’s all detritus & no sand. Tank is 31” deep also, so any sand movement stays pretty low. This is my first tank with wave pumps. I wonder if I’m aiming them incorrectly?
 
Can you draw a diagram or explain where are the outlets of the filters/powerheads/sump located?

The issues people have is that they set up high flow but the flow is chaotic.
All outlets need to be blowing in exactly the same direction. All inlets should be located on the same side as the outlets, unless there is big decor blocking the full circle of the flow. Drop powerheads like the koralia, they blow in all directions and all they are doing is preventing a circular flow, which is essential to "clear" water.

Apart from that, oxygenation is very important to aid in natural fast decomposition of organics, so if plants are not a possibility, one should make sure the surface is really well agitated, even if it means more evaporation....

The best example of proper flow set up is sprabars covering all the back length of the tank, blowing straight towards the front, high enough to agitate the surface well. The outlets could be placed in the two back corners(as minimum two filters are required for that) . If no spraybars, follow the previous advise...
 
OB is the overflow box. Inside are two durso pipes feeding 1” bulkheads. R1 and R2 are the return lines. They are 3/4 loc-line fed by a 3,200gph DC drive pump. Each splits into a Y with one part pointing inward & downward to agitate dead spots on the floor near the overflow. The other part points outward & upward to agitate the surface.

W1 and W2 are 2,200gph wave pumps set to 60% surge. They point inward and slightly downward, just enough to dust off the substrate without moving sand into the water column.

AC05F5FA-D634-42B5-A038-66DD73AB4F34.jpeg 94F4AF37-C97F-4F79-B5DC-398FE27EEC1F.jpeg
 
The water flow from outlets has to be parallel to each other, as in a spraybar flow or at least single type outlets that blow straight, horizontal and parallel to each other towards the front glass. The water then would hit the front glass, slide down to the bottom, sweep the bottom back in the direction of the inlets out the back which would "filter" the water out of particles......and then the circle, i.e. circular flow repeats itself.

In your scenario, the outlet flow crosses paths with each other. early on..I'd use the word ...."splashes" water around......It will not pick up the detritus and bring it to the inlets but instead blow it all around the tank...some will get to the inlets, some will keep floating around for a long time before "accidentally" finding its way to the inlets...so one will have particulates around the tank for longer.....

To fix that, you need to either change the outlets types, lose the pumps/wavemakers(they blow in all directions), etc.....The direction of the flow from each outlet needs to be parallel to each other and horizontal... You can either set up up back to front or side to side...Side to side is more difficult because if the tank is well decorated, the water will lose velocity as it hits the decor, plus the distance is longer...
 
trying a few things; i will report back in a week or so.

DN328 - thx for the compliment. FYI the stand is all wood.
 
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